Awhitu Peninsula: Call of the country

Giving up rush hour for the rhythm of the seasons has proved the right thing to do for this family.

By Graham Hepburn.

Address: 402 Awhitu Central Road, Matakawau, Awhitu Peninsula.

Having spent two-and-a-half years on her Awhitu Peninsula property, Lynn Barrack has the taste for country life and has no intention of going back to the city.

Lynn, who is originally from Avondale and lived in Glenbrook for a while, moved out south to Awhitu to escape the rat race. She loves the change.
``It's a real mellow lifestyle out here and the community's really good,'' says Lynn. ``The neighbours don't stick their noses into your business but they'll always be there to help you out.''

And with the local social club just up the hill, there's no sense of isolation. ``They do a $10 meal on a Friday night that really rocks, as well as cheap drinks.''

Lynn says that when she and husband Mark took over the property it was woefully neglected.
``It was completely overgrown. I don't think anyone had lived here for about 18 months,'' says Lynn.

``It took three or four months of work to knock it into shape. We reclaimed an orchard where there was grass up around your waist. We took trailer load after trailer load of grass out of the place, redid all the gates and fences and painted all the outbuildings.''

A ridge splits the land and the house is on one side of it with views across the Manukau Harbour back towards Auckland International Airport. There's a hay shed over the other side of the ridge for feeding out at that end of the property.

Lynn runs cattle on the property and keeps horses.
``I think the most I have ever grazed was 14 cows and two horses and I was feeding out in August and September, but everyone does that at that time of the year.''

The property also has a small tack room and Lynn says, ``For a person with horses it is set up perfectly. We've got post and rail set up on some of the property. The beach is the big thing here - you can jump on your horse and get to six different beaches here within 20 minutes of the house. And there are some places you can only reach by horse.''
When you hit the beach you can collect scallops and mussels for dinner, says Lynn.

The homestead is a bungalow that was originally brought on to the property in kitset form as a wedding gift.
And Lynn says that Keith Hay, of Keith Hay Homes fame, was an apprentice on the job, ``so it's well built''.

The north-facing house has polished wood floors and French doors to the deck at the front. There is a spa bath at the rear of the house, with French doors opening out to a patio, with the orchard beyond that.
Lynn says it's a warm house, helped by the woodburner in the lounge and the shelter belts and mature trees on the property that protect it from wind.

Changing family circumstances mean the property is up for sale, but Lynn has no plans to leave the area.
``You come out here and you learn a lot; you learn to respect the land.''

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGES: 2

SIZE: Land 6.044ha, house 130sq m.

PRICE: $550,000.

INSPECT: By appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.century21.co.nz/406038

CONTACT: Cheryle Gail, Century 21, ph 09 238 4236 bus, 0272 448 691 mob.

FEATURES: Bungalow on large property with 17 water-troughed paddocks. Two-bay milking shed, two hay sheds, chicken coop, two-bay shed and tack room.